[EZmoney]

I like to feed my p's feeder fish from time to time, but without proper quarantine. I know this is not proper and certainly risky.

I would like to know what is involved in the proper care of feeder fish. Besides using a 10 gallon tank, what else is nescessary? How long should the quarantine period last? What is the correct amount of salt to add and how often?

Thanks for the advice!

PS - With enough input, maybe we could pin this topic for everyone's benefit!

 

[shoe997bed263]

i have my feeders in a 10g tank. for feeders i either feed them mollies or guppies i try to stay away from gold fish. but from time to time i do feed gold fish. i use the kent parasite treatment on the feeders for 2 weeks before i fed them to my p's. also i try to feed them the best flake food i can. i use the tetra color flakes and the tetrafin flakes. i do water changes along with all my other tanks. i try to treat that tank like my p's tanks

 

[compton ass steve]

i also use a 10 gallon for my feeder tank, but i only add salt to it. i just use what the box says to add. i keep them in there for atleast 2 weeks though...

 

[Judazzz]

My answer in a different thread about the same topic:

Use a heater in your feeder tank - even though goldfish (assuming those are the ones you are planning to use) are coldwater fish, they'll do fine in warmer water.
The more equal the water temperature in both tanks is, the less the temperature shock will be - temperature shock is one of the most common triggers for ick, and ick is present (in a dormant state) in every fish tank.

Other than that, keep the feeders quarantained for at least 2 weeks, as said in a tank with a medium dosage of salt (1 tablespoon per 10 gallons): during this period, gutload them (ie. stuff them with high quality foods), so your piranha's will get an extra nutritional bonus

btw: if possible, I'd get other fish than goldfish - they, just like all other cyprinid fish (barbs, danio's, carps, koi, goldfish) contain growth-inhibiting hormones that may pose a health hazard to your piranha's - it's a long-term process, so you will only notice it when the damage is already done.
Instead of cyprinids, go with tetra's, lifebearers or cichlids (you could even try to breed them, to save some cash...)